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More Winning Poems and Poets from Cindy Avitia High School
By Riley, ACE Poetry Contest Mascot, who’s rarely insecure ‘cause he’s seen it all, assisted by Martha, who has seen a lot too, but she understands the need to touch the sky
These winning ACE Poetry Contest poets from Cindy Avitia High School have experienced a lot in this crazy 2020/2021 school year, and these poems reflect their experiences. Arf – insecurities. Arf – learning how to feel okay. Arf – being ready. Arf –needing to walk when you want to run.
There’s a lot of poetic wisdom here. Congratulations 10th, 11th and 12th grade poets. You have a poetic – and fabulous – future.
Yes, there are more ACE Poetry Winners from Alpha Public Schools. Stay tuned. Arf, arf.
10th Grade Contest
First Place: Josie White
“Shattered Reflection”
My body
Who am I? What am I? A temple that is split.
A physical vessel that allows me to interact in the world as I know it.
An identity still so much unknown, words said that cannot be attoned.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
I am blinded by the lies that create this bolder.
Words of encouragement and advice given to others that I can’t say to myself in the mirror.
When will there be security for my insecurities.
To be vulnerable, to be a statue
A failed masterpiece, no one can see my virtues
Told from the beginning of existence, the eye will out way a decision of whom you are
I’ve tried my best to build bridges, however they seem to just observe from afar
Through the sliver, through the water am I able to view my mound of flesh and bones
The blues rythymed from the saxophone
Half of my creators admire the art they’ve created as the others observe me as a way to trade for a golden spoon
The power and strength to see the light at the end of the tunnel
I hope to channel in soon
Being made out of light, rapidly being dimmed by the black hole that is my home
Either shrouded in fear or in consumed by curiosity of the unknown
Held in potential, the losing of strength and any power left
I am unable to blossom, spread my wings, as my heart has been cleft.
The calm waters never seem to touch the sky
I am able to touch the stone as it’s becoming more challenging to see any glitters of light.
As a candle blown out, it’s flame pinched to it’s spite.
Fainted in darkness I become.
My body
I feel the sun rise
Gold fossiled at the deep blue ocean
I reach the horizon
Second Place: Montserrat Saavedra
Most Days, I’m Not Okay
Most days, I’m not okay
I lay awake in the place where I most love and hate
Contemplating on what I could have changed
Then the clock strikes eight and I wait
I wait to see if it’s real
It can’t be
But I can feel the morning breeze
And so that’s my cue and I follow routine
I stare into a screen, work, and repeat
It’s days like this, I’m not okay
But time goes on although my mind’s astray
And I no longer feel the same
I don’t know why, but I turned to glance
And outside the window was a world filled with chance
Suddenly it didn’t seem gray and gloomy as before
There was sun and trees with the most vibrant of colours outdoor
I’ve always disregarded the view and focused on tasks that now seem small
The same tasks that always led me to fall
But now I see
That there’s a world waiting for me
So on the days that I must follow routine
I now know it’ll be fine
Because even though most days, I’m not okay
I’ve learnt that it’s fine for me to feel this way
Third Place: Augustin Ponce
Untitled
this poem is special so what do i write about
will someone else read it or shall i recite aloud
i need to write something so i’ll be proud
i need to write something that would lure a crowd
“why must this be difficult” on the inside i shout
is this good enough for me to win?
or does this belong in a can of tin?
maybe if i rhyme things with orange?
or should i write things that’d fly off the door hinge
would i win then? would they even see me?
or will i get famous and end up on tv
you see the important thing is that i try
and maybe some day i’ll touch the sky
but till then on the inside i cry
11th and 12th Grade Contest
First Place: Katie Le
Existential Tread
I’m up thinking, contemplating my life.
About how it intertwines with the world, the purpose of mine.
How do I know I’m at the right place, at the right time?
So I go fast, fast to figure out the complexities of myself.
But I want to walk.
I’m up thinking, swimming through the mental abyss.
Is that the beauty of an active mind?
I’m distressed, mind a clutter, a mess.
The layers pile on more and more though I imagined it would dwindle with time.
The distance oscillates between miles and millimeters, forcing me to stop and accelerate abruptly.
This existential dread pressures me to quicken my pace;
I’m out of breath, gasping for a hold.
The moment I take smaller steps, my lungs fill with oxygen, my eyes clear.
To surpass the burden, the dread, and take on the little bits,
embrace the existential tread.
Second Place: Gisela Villavicencio
My First Solo
Nervous and scared.
Pretty and made up.
When I went up on the stage, my color went away
But in listening to the song
My body turned on and my fear was gone.
I looked up and people were clapping for me
With my smile and my head held high.
My pride in being a dancer and having Mexican roots
shock.
It was a beautiful experience
Like a rose
That I would not change it for something else.
Mi Primer Solo
Nerviosa y asustada.
Bonita y maquillada.
Al subir el escenario se me fue mi color
Pero en escuchar la canción
Mi cuerpo enciendo y se me quito el miedo.
Mire hacia arriba y la gente me aplaudía
Con mi sonrisa y mi frente en alto.
Mi orgullo de ser bailarina y tener raíces mexicanas
sobresalto.
Fue una experiencia hermosa
Como una rosa
Que no la cambiaría por otra cosa.
Third Place: Marielena Vargas
Untitled
Every minute someone leaves this world behind…
We are all in “the line” without knowing it…
We never know how many people are before us…
We can not move to the back of the line…
We can not step out of line…
We can not avoid the line…
So while we wait in line:
Make moments count
Make priorities
Make the time
Make your gifts known
Make a nobody feel like a somebody
Make your voice heard
Make the small things big
Make someone smile
Make the change
Make love
Make up
Make peace
Make sure to tell your people they are loved
Make sure to have no regrets
Make sure you are ready
Live…
Poems are Flowing from Cindy Avitia High School Poets – Read the Winning Ones and be Impressed
By Riley, ACE Poetry Contest Mascot, who is loving these Alpha poets and their poems, assisted by Martha who loves ‘em too
Treat yourself to these poems.
Arf, arf. Cindy Avitia High School students get to the point, don’t they? These poets pointedly point out issues with bullies, being yourself and managing distress. These are difficult, but these poets show us paths to get there – be strong, embrace your true self and focus on what is around you to get through tough moments. Even if it means sitting on a bathroom floor. Arf. Been there. Done that.
Great poems here. From Best Overall to Third Place, the poems touch and teach us. (I particularly like being touched. Petted actually.) Congratulations poets. Stay tuned for more winners from Cindy Avitia High School.
Best Overall Winner: Jonathan Rosales
The Bully
Awaken I lay, scared to leave my bed,
Frozen in place, and filled with dread.
I don’t want to face him, not today,
If I can just avoid him I’ll be ok.
But I know the truth, the dreaded fact,
It’s inevitable and the odds are stacked.
I have to face him, now and forever,
The bully that makes my mood sever.
I finally give in and arise from my throne,
Ready to face the behavior I don’t condone.
I’m so tired, I just want to sleep,
Where harsh words are gone, not a peep.
Maybe today he’ll be kind and benevolent?
Maybe he’ll just leave me to my own development?
No, I can feel it now even in my home,
He will not stave off and leave me alone.
I enter then my restroom, and flick on the switch,
And I pause with no movement, not a single twitch.
I take a deep breath and face the man,
And prepare for the onslaught that will soon span.
But today he’s quiet, which scares me more,
What is his game? I want to know more.
For once he has kinds words, and is very uplifting,
“You are great. You are worthy. You are gripping.”
I smile at the mirror and face it fully,
Because it seems I’ve beaten this bully.
9TH Grade Contest
First Place: Berneece Guerrero
Like Me
I like being me but it’s not always as easy as you think
Because when you look like me
Think like me
Act like me
Love like me
Dress like me
Speak like me
Life won’t seem so simple anymore
Why don’t we dive deeper? Shall we?
Do not look like me if you want to be told to “go back to where you came from”!
Do not think like me if you want to be given the title of “crazy”
Do not act like me if you want to be called anything other than prim and proper
Do not love like me if you want to be labeled as “unnatural”
Do not dress like me if you want to ripped to shreds by the words of others
And do not speak like me if you want to constantly be told to “SPEAK ENGLISH, THIS IS AMERICA”!
But if you are even a little like me, be proud
Be you
Embrace it
Second Place: Beetzie Guerrero
Sigh of Relief
At the moment, I don’t feel okay and the reason is quite peculiar
I’m in distress, I don’t know what to do. Why is this feeling so familiar?
In an attempt to rid me of my woes
A thought in my head arose
I go to a place where I know I am safe
The place where I hide my face
On the bathroom floor I sit and try to notice
5 things I can see:
a toilet, the floor, my rug, the sink, and my reflection
4 things I can feel:
the floor, the breath on my lips, the sweat dripping down my face, and the tears falling from my eyes
3 things I can hear:
the chatter outside, the buzzing from the lights, and my ragged breathing
2 things I can smell:
the harsh cleaning chemicals, and the air freshener that tries to conceal them
1 thing I can taste:
the bitter taste of bile that threatens to come up
And this does the trick
I’m no longer frantic
I wouldn’t say I’m good as new
But if I do, would this cycle still continue?
Third Place: Sara Rodriguez
“Overload Instability”
It’s a brand new day,
Hoping things, will go her way
There’s nothing much, for her to say
This girl sits there
Her life is gray
Her sorrowful expression,
It quietly decays
It seems she’s somewhere faraway,
She’s lost today
Her feelings, she cannot display
She feels like a stray
She’s great with writing,
English she very much likes
But she’s terrible with numbers
Theres so much despise
She feels that everything she chooses
Will always be false
Feeling that everything is all her fault
She looked up the source
Doing everything by force
Her work is completed
She feels she’s succeeded
This cycle is repeated
She feels conceited
They next day,
It’s the start of May,
There’s surveys, there’s essays
She cannot delay
Her grades are back
The skills with numbers, she lacks
She tried not to slack
Her head she smacks
This sensation,
Its come back
There’s no time to slack
She feels she’s attacked
Her emotions are stacked
She’s now tearing out her hair,
This feeling, it cannot compare
Deeply she stares
Her emotions, she can’t share
She feels no one cares
Can you read her writing?
It’s as clear as can be
Can you read her mind?
See all her lost fantasies
Its clearer than ever, she’s lost her sanity
She can no longer see
Hey, how could this be?
Please, someone tell me
She can’t disagree
All she wants is to be free
These Winning Poems from José Hernández Middle School are Outta This World
By Riley, ACE Poetry Contest Mascot, assisted by Martha. Still typing away, but busy with spell check. Outta? Outa?
Astronaut José Hernández signs his book.
I’m running around in circles for these poems.
Riley here. And here are poems from José Hernández Middle School. They all include visions of the poet’s world interwoven with the beauty and inspiration of birds, parents and school. These are winning, creative poems and I hope you run around in circles after reading them too.
Congratulations winning poets. Great poems that are outta this world ‘cause these poets reach for the stars.
First Place: Jordan Flores
delightful surroundings
I step outside
what do I see
a widow bird
beside the tree
starring at the forest
in distress
as there’s nothing
that will impress
searching
in despair
and then I see
a lovely hare
as I thought
things couldn’t get better
then I saw
a falling feather
from what it may be
I had to know
then I saw
a very bright glow
I looked up
it was a dove
on its way
to its home
Second Place: Esmerelda Portillo-Mendez
Loving Parents
Parents are there to wake you up or working to support you & there for
dinner or when asleep or for special occasions. They’ll be there for your
elementary Graduation or on facetime and for birthdays and when you
sad or stressed and when you need help whether it’s for school or if
you just need help. Parents will get you ready for picture day or when
you go off to college they support you no matter what and get you
ready for the future. At the end of the day they love you no matter
what.
Third Place: Joel Alvarado
